Pages

Sunday, May 26, 2013

You Wouldn't Want to Be-Must Read Mentor Text

I hope you all enjoyed your Saturday as much as I did! It was so nice to relax, and it is even better knowing I have today and tomorrow off!

It is Sunday, and that means it is time to link up with Collaboration Cuties for their Must Read Mentor Text linky. This week's topic is social studies.

 

The book I want to share with you is a favorite of my students and I. You Wouldn't Want to Be an American Colonist! This book is one book in a larger series called, "You Wouldn't Want to Be.."
 

I love these books because they present information in a fun and exciting way.  This book specifically looks at the Jamestown Colony. It shares what it would be like if you were a settler in Jamestown, what the battles were like against Native Americans, and also talks about Capt. John Smith. The students love the "weird-random facts" that the book shares. Students who enjoy social studies love this book, but more importantly students that generally don't enjoy social studies love the book. I like to share it as a read aloud with my class when I introduce Jamestown.

After I have shared the book with the students, I have them play this game on the computers. The Jamestown game allows students to be the leader of Jamestown. They get to pick how to treat the Native Americans, where to settle, what to plant etc. They are then graded on how their settlement would have survived. My students will play this game over and over to try to get different scores. It is another fun way for the students to learn about the Jamestown colony.


What are your favorite social studies mentor texts? Be sure to head over to Collaboration Cuties to check out other fantastic mentor texts!

9 comments:

  1. I just picked up 3 of the "You Wouldn't Want to.." books for my Medieval Times unit. Can't wait to use them. Who doesn't love weird random facts :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a few of these! They are great. We use them in a station and the kids have to make of their own "You Wouldn't Want to Be..." stories after reading them. Great choice!
    Brandee @ Creating Lifelong Learners

    ReplyDelete
  3. This looks like a fun book! I want to check out the other books in the series now too!
    Bethany
    FabandFunin4th!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have several of these books as well. I don't use it as a read-aloud just because it doesn't flow that well out loud, but I have it available for kids to look at in my social studies library. They are great fun!

    Diane
    Fifth in the Middle

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just found out about these. They are awesome and there are so many books out there.
    Great post.

    matt
    Digital: Divide & Conquer

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'd never heard about this series until this linky and I'm so excited about it! My kiddos (and me too) love books that have little random facts in them!
    ~Courtney
    Polka Dot Lesson Plans

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this series! Such funny, random facts that keep the kids engaged but learning at the same time!
    Amanda
    Collaboration Cuties

    ReplyDelete
  8. This series is fantastic! I was able to get a few for my classroom using grant money, and the students really enjoy them. Filled to the brim with fun facts, engaging text, and hilarious illustrations that help them get what's happening. Great choice!

    Kristen
    Aspire to Inspire

    ReplyDelete